The Color of Winter (冬之色)

Yesterday came as a big surprise to me. I have heard from others that there's a nice place for a leisurely stroll in the countryside. I went there. When I first started, there were not too many people on the tar mac . But as the day wore on, it became more and more crowded. I found whole troops of learner photographers, equipped with cameras of different brands, their huge lenses dangling in front of their undulating stomaches and their tripods at their side. There were young girls all made up and dressed in what they considered their best costume walking by the side of their camera-armed boy friends. There were also men of all ages, in their safari outfits, in jerseys and wind breakers, in track suits and sports shoes, either alone or with two or three of their photo buddies, all walking purposefully towards some destination or other, I sensed that there must be something good ahead of me, awaiting me. When I turned a corner and saw a group of photographer crouching down, straining their necks, their bodies twisted and contorted in all kinds of impossible postures but all looking up, I knew what was the common cause of their un-cordinated and yet convergent odyssey: maple leaves. I went to Tai Tong Country Park in Yuen Long.It was my very first visit there.

There were leaves in light yellow

leaves with deeper yellowish hues

Jokes on Politics (政治笑話)

Hardly a day passes now without our reading or hearing political squabbles in Hong Kong. Perhaps there are only two things which we can never escape from. The first is death. The second is politics. Whilst we may not bother about the details of political disputes, politics will never cease to bother us, whether we will or not. If there's nothing much we can do about that, there's at least one thing still left to us: we can joke about them

1.

Son: "Daddy, I have to write a special report for school, but I don't know what Politics is."

Father: "Well, let's take our home as an example. I am the bread-winner, so let's call me Capitalism. Your Mum is the administrator of money, so we'll call her Government. We take care of your need, so let's call you The People. We'll call the maid the Working Class and your brother we can call The Future. Do you understand son?"

Son: "I'm not really sure, Dad. I'll have to think about it."

That night awakened by his brother's crying, the boy went to see what was wrong. Discovering that the baby had seriously soiled his diaper, the boy went to his parents' room and found his mother sound asleep. He went to the maid's room, where, peeking through the keyhole, he saw his father in bed with the maid. The boy's knocking went totally unheeded by his father and the maid, so the boy returned to his room and went back to sleep.

The next morning he reported to his father.

Son: "Dad, now I think I understand what Politics is."

Father: "Good. Can you explain it to me in your own words?"

Son: "Well Dad, while Capitalism is screwing the Working Class, Government is sound asleep, the People are being completely ignored and the Future is full of Shit."


2.


A life long supporter of the Democratic Party was lying on his death bed when he suddenly decided to join the DAB.

"But why?" asked his puzzled friend, "You're Democrat through and through … Why change now?"

The man leaned forward and explained: "Well, I'd rather it was one of them that died and not one of us."


3.

"Daddy," a little girl asked her father, "do all fairy tales begin with 'Once upon a time'? "

"No, sweetheart," he answered. "Some begin with 'If I am elected.'"



4.

A man went in for a brain transplant operation and was offered a choice of two brains by the surgeon. He could choose either the Architect's brain which would cost him $10,000 or the Politician's which was $100,000.

"Does that mean that the politician's brain is much better than the Architect's?" exclaimed the clearly puzzled man.

"Not exactly" replied the surgeon, "the politician's has never been used."


5.

The HKSAR government today announced that it is changing its emblem from a bauhinia to a condom because it more accurately reflects the government's political stance: a condom stands up to inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and gives you a sense of security while you're actually being screwed.


The sun has come out. Go out and have a bit of fun before our government destroys all.

Sai Hang Yuen, Swatow (汕頭世鏗院)

Shortly before the Christmas rush started, I visited two cities in Guangdong viz.Swatow and Chiu Chow but for various reasons, I haven't had time to process the relevant photos. Now that I'm a bit less busy, I'll deal with them.

Not very many people may have heard of the name Lam Sai Hang (林世鏗). I certainly never knew him. He's a native of 惠縣葵潭镇玄武村 born there in 1931, emigrated to Hong Kong in 1959 and became one of its leading garment manufacturers and in 1984, branched into animal skin at his home village and later into construction industry and has since amassed a huge fortune and is now a director of one of the listed companies in Hong Kong. Not having received much education, he fully realizes the importance of educating the young. For that reason, he financed the building of more than 200 schools in the PRC,  In addition, he helped build 8 hospitals, 10 bridges, several libraries and miles of roads. In 1995, he started to construct a group of palace style buildings at Swatow called Sai Hang Court (世鏗院) to preserve the Chiu Chow style of architecture which relies heavily on stone and wooden sculpture. He spent more than 8 years to complete the project which comprises 9 different sections and now houses more than 270 calligraphic works and more than 500 Chinese ink paintings. He is now made an honorary citizen of 汕頭市, 揭陽市, 惠州市, 汕尾市, 潮州市.

The name plague at the court yard of the group of houses　　

The entrance to Sai Hang Yuen

One side of the front external wall surrounding the courtyard and buildings

8 horses at the courtyard to symbolize his spirit of always moving forward



The plague of a dragon at the entrance to the courtyard, done in imitation  of the one at the Imperial Palace in Beijing

A series of 9 houses to symbolize "long time"

Traditional porcelain decorations depicting various aspects of daily village life on the roof of one of the houses 

A fountain with 9 dragons guarding the pearl at one side of the courtyard

The entrance to the main hall



Different halls are separated by gilt wooden carvings.

Another such gilt wood carving panel

A very elaborate wooden panel

A very lively octopus decorating the top corner of one of the pillars above another lacquered panel

Another such octopus

Two elephants decorating the side of another pillar above another lacquer panel

A dragon and a Methusalah

One of the lacquered panels depicting daily life in Chiu Chow

Another elaborate wood carving under the roof

Floral pattern in one of the horizontal panels linking two pillars under the roof

One sees that the front of each of the girders is equally decorated as they taper up the triangular roof on one of the side walls

Another such decorated girders in the middle of the roof

One of the marble paintings decorating the wall

Another such marble paintings

A third such paitings.

(To be cont'd)

Luck at Ma Wan (馬灣公園行大運)

The weather appeared excellent. I therefore took time off to pay another visit to Ma Wan Park. I was richly rewarded.

There were flowers everywhere.

It's wonderful to see the florescence fashioned by the sun upon the the roundish leaves of the begonia plant.

Clear Water Bay Country Park (清水灣郊野公園)

For many, the first day of 2013 was a day marked by conflict: a conflict between two groups, one for and the other against the continuance in office of our CE in a society now deeply divided between the rich and the poor with tendencies for the progressive impoverishment of an increasing number of petty bourgeoisie. I sought solace not from the hope that our politicians can do anything meaningful for us but from Nature. I went hiking at the Clear Water Bay Country Park. Whilst rival groups shout and chant their frustrations and their demands in the busy streets of Causeway, Wanchai to Central, Nature carries on, the way it has done for millions of years, speaking only the language of the wind and the waves.

 

Creepers continue to wind its slender branch around stronger ones in search of sunlight.

Green leaves continue to take in what they need from the sun